Feminist Fantasy in The Priory of the Orange Tree

From East to West and North to South, let us travel into this stand-alone epic. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (2019) builds a feminist world of dragons, queendoms, politics, and religion. The female leads of Tane, Ead, and Sabran, all from different backgrounds, will surprise you in powerful ways.

 

Tane

is a dragon rider. I resonated with her morally gray aspects. She is chosen by a water dragon in a culture where they are deemed as gods. Though, she does not feel honored to be a rider despite her hard work because she breaks a national law. She allows a foreigner into her land, undetected, and post-plague era; but for selfish reasons like protecting her chances for a higher reputation. Time after time again, she witnesses loved ones passing or going missing, her honorability at stake, and who she is within her familial line as she grew up an orphan. Despite the odds against her, she is relentless and ambitious as she pulls her way out of poverty by means of not only hardship but also community and trust. Inside, she is a gem of a character.

 

Ead

is by far my favorite character. The more we uncover her mysteries, the more I fell in love with her purpose. We later find out that she is from the Priory which hides and protects a field of orange trees. Although, the orange trees are not just trees. These fruits hold sacred powers which allow Ead to control fire from her palms. As the saying goes, “With great powers, come great responsibility,” and Ead takes this to heart. She uses her powers to protect the Queendom of Inys (Sabran as the current Queen), but her purpose for doing so changes along the way. At the beginning, the Priory sends Ead on the mission to protect Sabran since there is no current heir. However, Ead slowly but surely falls in love with Sabran. Ead chooses to protect Sabran on her on volition, and she comes to protect the entire world from an ancient enemy stewing in shadows.

 

Sabran

is the Queen of Inys without an heir. From court pressures, she is wed to a prince, dealt pregnancy, and comes to miscarriage as a widow. From a feminist perspective, she captures real, societal pressures on women to be mothers. I nearly cried when she said that her body did not feel like her own after all her tragedies. Meanwhile, Ead comforted her through these hardships, so Sabran never had to feel alone anymore. Their relationship healed me as much as it healed each other. They encapsulate a healthy relationship that comes as an unexpected yet delightful surprise because it is queer. Similar to history and our realities, same-sex relationships are stigmatized and looked down upon; but Sabran chooses and love and power in royalty. She defies all odds against her.

 

The 848 pages may seem daunting, but look at it this way: Shannon has condensed 2-3 novels into 1 to lay right in front of your palms. The ending has been with you since the very beginning–the only thing that awaits it is you.